Sunfish

Sunfish have these little fins on their back that make them tricky to hold. All you need to do is just slide your hand from the front of the fins to the back, while not raising your hand off the fish. Their fins should slide down so they don’t poke you.

Bullhead

Bullheads have 3 pokey little fins/stingers. To hold them, you just need to press your hand against one side of the fish, under the fin. Then wrap your other fingers around the fish, but be sure to avoid the other two fins.

Bass(Large and Small)

There isn’t much difficulty with holding bass. All you do is grab its lips with your thumb, and put your other fingers under its mouth in a fist-like position. They don’t have teeth, their lips just feel like sandpaper. Fishermen refer to holding fish like this “Lipping”.

Crappie

If you have a crappie that’s big enough, you would just be able to lip it just like a bass. But if you can’t lip it, you are able to hold crappies the same way you would hold a sunfish. Just slide your hand from the front of the fins to the back.

Northern Pike

Northern Pike have sharp teeth that will cut you if you’re not careful. In order to hold one, you have to grab the gill flap with your hand. When you do this, be careful and avoid the gill plate, as it is sharp. Try to also have your hands clenched so you can have more control over the fish. I also put my thumb against the bottom of their mouth just to keep it closed. Then you can put your other hand on the belly of it in order to support its weight.

Walleye

Holding a walleye is pretty much the same as holding northerns. The first thing you do is grab the gill flap while avoiding the sharp gill plate. Then you can put your other hand on the belly to distribute the weight.